WSOP Diary Day 18: Who needs a rest anyway?

You know what it's like: a friend invites you over for a quiet get-together and it turns out to be anything but. Far from a cosy chat around the kitchen table, it seems word got out and the house was rammed with the whole neighborhood showing up.

Yesterday was meant to be a nice, quiet day at the WSOP in the Rio. Quiet by Las Vegas standards, anyway. You see, no new events were scheduled to start and instead we'd continue with those already under way. On with the slippers, breathe out and... relax.

You know where this is heading. The Rio was as packed as ever, the rail as deep and the action as fast as any other day. A quiet Sunday? I don't think so. One man who looked like he could have done with a rest was Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein, but then again he often has a hangdog expression...

Barry Greenstein

Much of the noise during the afternoon was coming from the feature stage area, where the $1,000 Ladies No Limit World Championship was concluding. This tournament is always well supported, and the whoops and hollers after each pot was won ensured even Mr Greenstein stayed awake. Vanessa Hellebuyck from France went on to win it, bagging $192,132 in the process. It was France's first bracelet of the Series so far.

The mass turnout was provided by day two of the $1,000 No Limit event. By the end of the night there were still 222 left in it, but only two were PokerStars players: Holland's Fatima Moreira de Melo (19,800) and George Lind (9,200). Best to move on...

Team PokerStars Pro's interest in the $2,500 Limit six-handed had ended long before Dutch Boyd took it down, winning $234,065 and his second WSOP bracelet. Best to move on...

That left much of the focus on day two of the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship. That's where Barry Greenstein was to be found, along with fellow Team PokerStars Pros Chad Brown, Pat Pezzin, George Danzer and Alex Kravchenko. In the event, only Pezzin made it to the money, collecting $17,138 for his 26th-place finish. That was his fourth cash of the WSOP already, an impressive feat for the Canadian.

Alex Kravchenko

Danzer was a little unlucky on his exit hand. He and Steve Zolotow were heads-up on a board of 9♥J♠K♦4♠. Danzer had flopped the nut straight with Q-Q-10-10 and bet after Zolotow checked. Zolotow then hit his perfect river, Q♦. He checked, Danzer moved all in, and Zolotow called with the new nuts, A-J-10-7.

George Danzer

If Danzer was a trifle unfortunate, Pezzin's exit was like a custard pie in the face, with extra cream. He was all-in on a flop of 4♠Q♥K♥ while holding K♦K♣J♦J♠ for a juicy set of kings. 'Miami John' Cernuto called with A♦5♠[10c]2♠ and found he needed one of just two remaining jacks for a straight. You guessed it, the J♣ came on the turn and Pezzin was out. Michael Chow leads the 23 survivors into day three.

Finally, a word on Team PokerStars Pro Humberto 'The Shark' Brenes. We've written before about his good work to save the oceans' shark population, and yesterday he took time out from playing the $1,000 event to sign t-shirts in aid of the cause. Well played, sir.

Humberto Brenes

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Tweets of the Day@GeorgeLindIII: Event 24, down to 5k now after hero call where he had to have nuts or bluff, and he had nuts, half hr left in the day, time to shove.